THE LAW: Three Leagues Under the Sea?

One reason why Texas liked Ike in 1952 was
that Candidate Eisenhower came out foursquare for giving the states
title to the disputed "tidelands" -and Texas expected to pump a lot of
revenue out of offshore oil. In a campaign speech in Houston that year,
Ike even endorsed Texans' claim that their state really extends three
marine leagues (10½ miles) out into the Gulf of Mexico, just as the
Republic of Texas did before it joined the U.S. in 1845. Ike kept the
campaign promise: in 1953 he signed a bill (similar to bills that Harry
Truman had vetoed)...